Small 4 stroke.

[oldgit]

Need to buy a 2.5HP 4 stroke O/B for a small inflatable .
Already have a electric O/B unit for mucking around.
Have looked at the YBM comparo on Youtube.
The Honda is simply to noisy and the cheapo one is probably off the list.
The rest all seem to be similar or just clones.....any recommendations.
One other caveat it will probably be used by the grandkids three times a year and spend the rest of its life hanging off a bracket on the back of the boat or in a corner of the garage..
Chum bought one of the Chinese knock offs, the paint lasted whole months before coming off the outboard leg.

 

[limecc]

Get a 2.5 Mariner/Mercury/Tohatsu, throw a new £30 5hp carb on it from Ebay and Bob's your uncle. Maybe not but Fannie's your aunt

 

[westernman]

Need to buy a 2.5HP 4 stroke O/B for a small inflatable .
Already have a electric O/B unit for mucking around.
Have looked at the YBM comparo on Youtube.
The Honda is simply to noisy and the cheapo one is probably off the list.
The rest all seem to be similar or just clones.....any recommendations.
One other caveat it will probably be used by the grandkids three times a year and spend the rest of its life hanging off a bracket on the back of the boat or in a corner of the garage..
Chum bought one of the Chinese knock offs, the paint lasted whole months before coming off the outboard leg.

I had a Yamaha 2.5hp 4 stroke.

This was very reliable, started always at at most the 3rd pull after being left abandoned for 6 months in the forepeak of my ship.
Did 100% what was expected of it.

Also has a proper neutral/forward gear (unlike the Honda), and is water called so much more civilized.

 

[oldgit]

Thanks for that seems to have got some good reviews .

 

[harvey38]

I have a Suzuki DF2.5 - I wouldn't have another, it dropped a push rod and cost £250 to repair which in hindsight was an absolute rip off

 

[Daydream believer]

Did 100% what was expected of it.

Nothing special
My Seagull does 100% of what is expected of it

 

[westernman]

Nothing special
My Seagull does 100% of what is expected of it

Our expectations differ
A lot.

 

[oldgit]

Nothing special
My Seagull does 100% of what is expected of it

O yes...the delightful and quintessential " British" Seagull.
Well remember the boots of my cars reeking of the 20:1 petrol/oil mix soaked into the carpet.
Having to calculate exactly when to turn off the fuel tap in order for the engine to not die pre arrival and requiring you row the remaining distance to the pontoon and leave as little fuel in the carb as possible to leak out when you laid it on its side.
Still have fond memories of multiple attemps to even start the thing and of the burnt fingers from the exhaust.
Carrying a spare plug at all times and the trail of oily smoke marking your slow progress against the tide.
Recently sold on Ebay my valuable collection of shock springs.

 

[Daydream believer]

O yes...the delightful and quintessential " British" Seagull.
Well remember the boots of my cars reeking of the 20:1 petrol/oil mix soaked into the carpet.
Having to calculate exactly when to turn off the fuel tap in order for the engine to not die pre arrival and requiring you row the remaining distance to the pontoon and leave as little fuel in the carb as possible to leak out when you laid it on its side.
Still have fond memories of multiple attemps to even start the thing and of the burnt fingers from the exhaust.
Carrying a spare plug at all times and the trail of oily smoke marking your slow progress against the tide.
Recently sold on Ebay my valuable collection of shock springs.

Yes ! but you expected it to do all that. Never failed. So in that respect it was 100% reliable

 

[Paul1962]

+ 1 for the Yamaha F2.5

 

[snowbird30ds]

I have a Suzuki DF2.5 - I wouldn't have another, it dropped a push rod and cost £250 to repair which in hindsight was an absolute rip off

Mine did that, I'd run it on avgas and the exhaust valve leaded up enough to stick, first time I fished the rod out through the oil filler with a magnet and sorted easily, second time I let the dealer sort assuming a warranty thing and they charged me £90 and said the bore was knackered as it still had no compression, I stripped myself to find the cam timing miles out, it seemed the dealer didn't understand the 4 stroke cycle....
Very snotty email later (copied to suzuki uk) and got my £90 back, dealer now gone down the pan.
For the cost of a head gasket it's a very easy engine to strip and sort, take care with crankcase gasket and a tube of sealer (used very sparingly) will do you, the valve is easy to take out and clean, mines been great ever since, rebuild took about 1.5 hours tops, don't pay £250 again.

 

[SC35]

Merc / Mariner / Tohatsu 3.3 Two Stroke?
Only weighs 13kg

 

[harvey38]

Mine did that, I'd run it on avgas and the exhaust valve leaded up enough to stick, first time I fished the rod out through the oil filler with a magnet and sorted easily, second time I let the dealer sort assuming a warranty thing and they charged me £90 and said the bore was knackered as it still had no compression, I stripped myself to find the cam timing miles out, it seemed the dealer didn't understand the 4 stroke cycle....
Very snotty email later (copied to suzuki uk) and got my £90 back, dealer now gone down the pan.
For the cost of a head gasket it's a very easy engine to strip and sort, take care with crankcase gasket and a tube of sealer (used very sparingly) will do you, the valve is easy to take out and clean, mines been great ever since, rebuild took about 1.5 hours tops, don't pay £250 again.

Cheers SB

 

[SC35]

O yes...the delightful and quintessential " British" Seagull.
Well remember the boots of my cars reeking of the 20:1 petrol/oil mix soaked into the carpet.
Having to calculate exactly when to turn off the fuel tap in order for the engine to not die pre arrival and requiring you row the remaining distance to the pontoon and leave as little fuel in the carb as possible to leak out when you laid it on its side.
Still have fond memories of multiple attemps to even start the thing and of the burnt fingers from the exhaust.
Carrying a spare plug at all times and the trail of oily smoke marking your slow progress against the tide.
Recently sold on Ebay my valuable collection of shock springs.

My memory of the British Seagull was failing to duck at the right time when Dad pulled the starter rope and being hit on the head by it
It was, at least, quite reliable once running, unlike the "West Bend" that preceded it.
I was so happy when we upgraded to a bigger boat with a Chrysler 15 that had an enclosed recoil starter.

 

[Bigplumbs]

Merc / Mariner / Tohatsu 3.3 Two Stroke?
Only weighs 13kg

They are the ones 2 strokes all the way

 

[BlueJasper]

Still got my merc 5hp 2 stroke. It was sat in the shed for 10 years and still started on the second pull. I've changed the oil and impeller and that's it. The Suzumar dinghy isn't looking as good though.....

 

[Parabordi]

They are the ones 2 strokes all the way

4 strokes much heavier

 

[Bouba]

I know you have dismissed the Honda....but consider this scenario (which may not be you at all)...you are on the beach with your tender and waves are crashing down...so you launch the boat...get into water deep enough to put the outboard leg down...then you start her...by then the waves have pushed you back on the beach (even gentle waves)...the Honda is air cooled..you can start it on the beach... and it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get to deep water to put the leg down then instantly go before you are pushed back by the waves

 

[Parabordi]

I know you have dismissed the Honda....but consider this scenario (which may not be you at all)...you are on the beach with your tender and waves are crashing down...so you launch the boat...get into water deep enough to put the outboard leg down...then you start her...by then the waves have pushed you back on the beach (even gentle waves)...the Honda is air cooled..you can start it on the beach... and it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get to deep water to put the leg down then instantly go before you are pushed back by the waves

i agree, i had one and it was a great little LIGHT outboard, so what if its noisy, i know your neighbour really well

 

[oldgit]

Looking a various postings on the interweb including this one, leaning towards the Mercury and not the most expensive either , the comments on the Honda interesting.

This cut and pasted from the comments on the above video.

Patrick Hascall ​

4 months ago (edited)

" I am an outboard repair shop in Hawaii. This is long but worth the read. I have had my hands on every one of these outboards except that amazon weed eater looking thing. I am in high salt environment which is a true test of an outboard's quality. I do not sell outboards; I repair outboards. I am not a dealer pushing a brand. Okay, here we go! Hangkai: absolute junk. They have models that are reversed engineered Yamaha and Tohatsu. Corrode like crazy in salt water. Run nowhere as well as the motors they copied, and failure rate is extreme. Absolutely no warranty. Don't buy that junk. Honda: Weird clutch drive system that eventually burns up. Engages at a certain RPM, and if you go too slow on the RPMs the clutch will slip and slowly wear out. You cannot just put it in gear and idle along as with other motors. Occasional use motor... fine, but not a daily runner. All the bolts and screws are steel and rust like crazy. Steel float bowl on carburetor that 'will' rust away in salt water. Not very powerful and loud. Has 5 year warranty, but seeing most of the problems are rust.. they will not cover corrosion. Suzuki: Nice running motor... when the carburetor is actually working. Very poorly designed carb. Bad propellers that blow hubs constantly. Corrosion issues in salt water. Cheap plastic, easily broken cowlings. Expensive repair parts. Has 5 year warranty. I have no experience with warranty claims with Suzuki. Yamaha: Absolute least favorite of the name brand motors. Quiet, but that is about the only thing good. Fuel system failures constant. Poor carburetors. Cheap, poorly fitting, easy to crack cowlings and flimsy plastic hood latches, cowling never fit perfectly. $100+ venting fuel cap that never vents properly and gets clogged easy and lets water in tank. If a impeller fails and overheats just once, all the pivot bracket plastic bushings and rubber melts and has to be replaced 95% of the time. Very poorly made motor. Outrageous repair part prices. Has 5 year warranty... if you can call it a warranty. They fight you every step of the way in honoring claims. Parsun: Best of Chinese made motors, but that is not saying much. Same issue as above said Hangkai, and other names they stick on these motor's cowlings. Most brands of Chinese motors are all made in the same plant, and then painted different and named different. Parsun are the better fit and finish models from the same factory. Colman same thing. Not made by Parsun so to speak. Just in same plant. All 4-strokes are reversed engineered Yamaha copies. The 2-strokes are reversed Tohatsu. I use Yamaha and Tohatsu parts to repair them. Mind you a ton of repairs. No warranty service. Mercury and Tohatsu: By far the best motors. Best carburetors. Cowlings very sturdy. In this size they are identical in every way. Tohatsu is usually the same price and sometimes more expensive, but where the difference is between the two companies is the parts and warranty. Mercury parts (made by Tohatsu) are 20 to 40 percent more expensive. So if you own a Mercury... buy Tohatsu label parts. Example: Carburetor with Mercury Quicksilver packaging $378. Carburetor Tohatsu packaging $153. Identical carburetors made by the same manufacturer in Japan. Warranty: Tohatsu warranty is 7 years and longest of all makes. No fighting for warranty claims. Mercury is 3 years for small motors (same motor made at same plants). Hope this helps your hunt for and outboard."